Peace News

Peace News

Article excerpt

Social Trends, the annual survey of the UK population from the Office of National Statistics, reveals that half of children aged 8 to 11 own their own mobile phone, but also that the numbers of people aged over 65 are set to outstrip those aged under 16 earlier than projected. A general greying is observable, presumably among some of our readers also, the greyer among whom will have got a warm glow from seeing last month that the striking Picasso mural that used to be observable behind the ICA front desk (sundered from the wall of the Torrington Square flat it was drawn on) has been acquired by the Wellcome Trust. It will go on show as part of the Wellcome Collection from June 21. The mural was drawn in 1950 on a rare visit by Picasso to Britain, motivated by his peace activism. Three years later he would get in a tangle with the French Communist Party over his portrait of Stalin. The British Peace Committee was attempting to host the World Peace Congress in Sheffield City Hall, though it didn't quite go as planned. In Sheffield Picasso met the Irish-born scientist and communist JD Bernal, whose fascinating career is still perhaps best approached through Gary Werskey's Visible College, 1978, a collective biography of socialist scientists. …